One step ahead: LG Flowers detects pests before they cause trouble

With 12 hectares across four greenhouses and an annual output of 95 million gerberas, LG Flowers stands among the top gerbera producers in the Netherlands. Next to the company's strong growth in recent years, new challenges continue to emerge. This is especially clear in how quickly the crop protection landscape is evolving.

Pests like the Tomato looper moth (Chrysodeixis chalcites) and European pepper moth (Duponchelia fovealis) have a major impact on gerbera cultivation. Not just on the crop itself, but also on the biological balance that LG Flowers strives to maintain.

"We do everything we can to stay ahead of pests," says Martin de Bruijn, Head of Cultivation at LG Flowers. "As soon as moths enter, it can trigger a domino effect. They undermine natural predators, knocking the whole system off balance. Then you're months behind"

LG Flowers has been working with the PATS-C solution since 2021. Four years later, PATS-C monitoring has been rolled out across the entire company. In addition, a significant part of the greenhouses has been screened with insect netting preventively, wherever technically possible. "Monitoring the internal population remains essential," says Martin. "PATS-C gives us 24/7 insight, and most importantly: peace of mind. We know where we stand."

Martin de Bruijn, Head of Cultivation at LG Flowers, next to one of the PATS-C cameras: "With PATS-C, we always stay one step ahead of moth and caterpillar infestations."

This continuous stream of data is also helpful for Wouter Mooij, crop protection advisor: "Growers often have a fixed window for performing a treatment. Several times a year, we see a sharp change in moth activity within three days. If there's an increase midweek and there's a chance to spray over the weekend, you can adjust and scale up your strategy before the larvae reach the feeding stage."

Martin continues: "PATS-C detects the Τomato looper at a very early stage, often even before any visible damage appears. Past experience shows that such a spike in moth activity is quickly followed by crop damage. By recognizing this pattern, we can make targeted biological interventions against the first larvae and prevent further infestation."

Keeping track of actions is becoming increasingly important. Interventions are immediately logged in PATS-Kalendar, allowing crop experts and advisors to track what was done and when. The next step is to predict risks and automatically advise the right intervention moment.

The PATS-C camera closely monitors moth activity day and night.

"We're fully committed to digitization, prevention, and biological control," Martin says. "It's about being able to act at the very first sign of pressure, so we can maintain a balance in the greenhouse. Think of banker plants to keep natural enemies at stable levels, and of technology that helps us stay alert. By combining these tools, we create a system that doesn't react after the fact but instead prevents things from getting out of hand. At the same time, we keep looking for ways to make our cultivation system even smarter, with new technologies that enable us to act faster and more precisely. That's how we keep raising the bar."